At Our Core
Collaborative
Relationships are at the heart of Craftspring, and they guide our approach to our mission and sustainability. At our core are our relationships with artisans, and our collaborative and joyful design process.
Preserving artisanal traditions and skills is an essential part of Craftspring’s mission, and we do that through close and collaborative work with amazing artisans, designing products that can generate new market opportunities, while also cultivating respect for traditional techniques and patterns.
Values-centric
Equitable
We give our artisans year-round orders so that they can have consistent employment. Artisans set their prices and we pay 30 - 50% of each order in advance, ensuring that artisans can purchase materials and have a steady and reliable cash flow.
Rooted in Community
Ecologically-Sound
It is so important to us that in bringing more Joy and Connection to the world, we don’t neglect the local and global ecosystems in which we live. From product materials to shipping and packaging, we are always thinking about how to tread softly.
A Decade of Collaboration: Kyrgyzstan
We have partnered with artisans in Kyrgyzstan for over a decade, where their knowledge of wool and felting goes back many generations. They source wool from small, local farmers who graze their sheep in the Kyrgyz mountains.
“From my first visit to Kyrgyzstan, I was struck by the depth of the artisans’ cultural relationship to wool and felt. Felting is an ancient craft that has been passed down from woman to woman through the generations.”
- Anne, Founder
Expanding Partnerships: India & Beyond
We have expanded our collaborations from our Kyrgyz roots to other amazing groups in India, Madagascar, Germany, and Peru. In particular, over the past three years we have started to work with amazing makers in northern India. Our new partnerships incorporate traditional and modern techniques and a commitment to ethical and sustainable practices. Deep artisanal traditions inspire our work.
"When we decided we wanted to partner with artisan collectives in India, I reached out to a long-time friend of mine and designer from India, Leah Singh. She introduced us to so many amazing, talented groups of artisans, working with traditional and modern techniques." – Anne, Founder
Anne, Craftspring Founder
How it started
I started Craftspring 15 years ago to support some of the incredible women artisans I met on a research trip to Western China and Central Asia. In 2007, I received a grant from my university, Wellesley College, to study women’s entrepreneurship in Central Asia – over the course of a year, this took me through Xinjiang, Uzbekistan, Iran, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. I was inspired by the beauty and talent that I saw and wanted to help create pathways for Central Asian women to earn strong livelihoods. I also knew that their artistry would bring so much joy to people all around the world.
